Study Desk

I told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

Therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli, 'The iniquity of Eli's house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'"

the Philistines were afraid. "The gods have entered their camp!" they said. "Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair beside the road, watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.

Now Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God's ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her.

As she was dying, the women attending to her said, "Do not despair, for you have given birth to a son!" But she did not respond or pay any heed.

"The glory has departed from Israel," she said, "for the ark of God has been captured."

Then the Ekronites assembled all the rulers of the Philistines and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!" For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was heavy upon it.

When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months,

As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

Then the men of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the LORD and took it into Abinadab's house on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the LORD.

Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."

and said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, so that He will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines."

And the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.

So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.

He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.

When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day."

"Listen to their voice," the LORD said to Samuel. "Appoint a king for them." Then Samuel told the men of Israel, "Everyone must go back to his city."

One day the donkeys of Saul's father Kish wandered off, and Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys."

"If we do go," Saul replied, "what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?"